


A Shadow of Your Past and Present

by goodbyekillingharmony



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Angst, Ghosts, M/M, Stockholm Syndrome, Tags May Change, Warnings May Change, again hello thramsay community, i am honestly rlly happy with this idea and i will actually finish it no cap, well boys this is the ghost ramsay au weve all been waiting 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21920896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodbyekillingharmony/pseuds/goodbyekillingharmony
Summary: Theon Greyjoy thought that after escaping Winterfell, he'd get rid of Ramsay for good. After dying at the Battle of the Bastards, Ramsay's ghost now haunts Theon and with the Greyjoy's help, plans to exact his revenge on the two who had taken his life.
Relationships: Ramsay Bolton/Reek, Ramsay Bolton/Theon Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy & Yara Greyjoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. Why are you here?

**Author's Note:**

> yeahhhhh ghost ramsay au  
> here are the rules in case yall r interested:
> 
> \- theon can't touch ramsay, but ramsay can touch him  
> \- theon is the only one who can see and hear ramsay, but that may change soon  
> \- ramsay's form is the same as when theon last saw him bc that's his cognition of him

Theon Greyjoy knew he had to get his head straight. After countless months of being stuck in a singular room with the ability to leave it being far and few in between, the rocking waves of the Narrow Sea were hitting him like a strong swing of a sword. The man could barely focus on the surroundings in the cabin, he just had to man up and accept it. Sailing to Meereen was probably a bad idea.

No way would the Mother of Dragons actually want to work with the Greyjoy siblings, and even if she did want to work with a Greyjoy, it was probably going to be Euron anyway. Theon knew that Yara probably knew what she was doing, but there was still a large sense of doubt lingering in his mind, I mean, what were the chances that it would actually-

“Reek?”

No. No. No. No way this was happening. No. No. It can’t be him. It can’t be him. No.

“Reek? I know you can hear me. Mind telling me why you ran away?”

It can’t be him, Theon thought. His mind was racing. He was spinning. It feels like he was about to faint. No. It can’t be him. It can’t be fucking-

“I guess that doesn’t really matter now, but I am a bit curious. It isn’t polite to ignore someone, you know? Especially me.”

It is. That tone. That fucking voice. It can only be Ramsay Bolton.

Theon was paralyzed with fear. Why is this happening to him? Why now, of all times? He was so close to getting rid of him, and now he’s standing behind him. He was supposed to be at Winterfell. He was supposed to be far, far away from the sea - his safe haven. How did he know where he was? How was he even here? How did he get in here? 

“Oh, Reek, don’t tell me you didn’t miss me. You know that’s a lie. You’re probably ecstatic to hear my voice again, don’t kid yourself here, sweetling.”

It took everything that Theon had to turn around and potentially face *him* again. He sharply inhaled and finally opened his eyes. 

He was… translucent? Almost, ghost like in appearance. Absentmindedly, Theon approached the figure, touching his arm almost fascinated by this…seemingly transparent figure. He expected to feel something, but he didn’t feel anything and saw his butchered hand go right through Bolton’s arm, confirming his suspicions. 

“Oh, this? Your bastard brother and whore sister are to blame. Such a shame too… I had them right where I wanted and then this happened. Oh well.”

Theon said nothing as he stood there, eyes completely wide and staring at the taller figure before him. This wasn’t happening, Theon thought. No way was Ramsay Bolton dead and was currently haunting him. That’s just a story you tell to your kids when they misbehave. It isn’t supposed to feel real. But then why did it feel exactly as real as him actually being there in the flesh?

“Did your uncle cut out your tongue or something, Reek? You do know you have to obey your lord whenever he wishes to speak to you, correct? Or have you forgotten that?” 

“M-M’sorry, m’lord! R-Reek m-meant no offense…”

Theon wanted to bury himself to the ground after that response. He wanted to punch himself in the throat, especially after the promise he made to Sansa after he helped her escape. That he’ll never be Reek again. But who could blame him. Nothing had really changed inside Theon, he just wanted to remove Reek as much as possible, but with the sudden realization that this’ll be his new reality from now on, did he really have a choice or say in this manner? 

Ramsay is here, with him. Ramsay can’t hurt Reek anymore. Ramsay is never going to leave Reek’s side, he doesn’t have to think about anything again anymore. He can just be with Ramsay again, even in this state. How mechanical and immediate the response was to Theon just proved that he hadn’t changed, not even a little bit. How he’ll always be Reek to Bolton’s bastard.

Was it even worth escaping at all in the first place if I just lied to myself?

Ramsay had a deceptively sweet smile on his face as he placed a hand on Reek’s shoulder, the poor creature was distraught and confused, he couldn’t stop shaking. Ramsay’s words were coated in fake sugar as he got close to Reek’s ear and whispered.

“That’s my good Reek. You’re happy to see me again, aren’t you?”

Reek couldn’t help but immediately nod and also feel completely disturbed on how Ramsay could touch and feel him, but he couldn’t do either. Ramsay noticed and was completely and utterly ready to take advantage of that. Just because he was dead doesn’t mean he still couldn’t win, the bastard thought.

In ways, Theon knew he had it coming. There was no way he could just be excused like that. But he wasn’t Theon anymore, he was back to being Reek. Every dirty sin the Ironborn Theon Greyjoy did was carried over into Reek. But it wasn’t unfair. He deserved it. He ran away from his master. He completely deserved Lord Ramsay’s eternal torment.

Ramsay got behind him and wrapped his arms around the broken man’s torso, purposely making sure his hands fell on the man’s butchered groin, causing the creature to whimper. His brain still couldn’t process this. That Ramsay was dead, but also was here with him, even after everything. In a sense, he felt a sense of comfort. That he can just switch his brain off and let Ramsay take over like before. 

“Say, Reek? Are you willing to help me out with this one little thing?”

“Of course, m’lord. Anything for you.”

“Good. I have a plan for the both of us, and now, we have all the time in the world. Isn’t that exciting, Reek? ...You are willing to do anything I ask of you, right? You wouldn’t want to disappoint your lord, would you?”

“Of course not, m’lord. Reek will do whatever you need him to do.”

“Good! Let us discuss this a little bit mor-”

The cabin door burst open at full force, Yara Greyjoy entering the room shortly after, her eyes quickly drawn to Theon’s hunched figure with a disturbed look on his face. Greyjoy’s smile immediately faded as she rushed over to comfort her brother.

“Theon? Is everything alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Y-Yara? N-No, I’m alright. Just a tad sea sick is all.”

“Bah. You’re a Greyjoy and you’re getting sea sick?! I think you need to rest some more, brother, you seriously look terrible. And not in the usual sense."

"Yeah… I think I need some time to rest."

"And won't even reply to my remark? I didn't think the bastard fucked you up that much."

Theon winced at the mention of Bolton, still feeling his presence beside him. God, he didn't even have to look at him to know that shit eating grin was plastered on his face, his hands still lingering in that particular spot too. Even Theon knew fighting Reek back was becoming pointless if he can't even talk to his own damn sister.

Yara immediately felt regret and put her hands on both of his shoulders, staring the man dead in the eye. Her glare could cut a diamond in half with just a glance. It had the right amount of deadliness and fury to destroy the entire human race, Reek thought.

“Theon. I know it’s hard for you, but you have to get over him. The bastard is probably long since dead by now and we have other matters to focus on. I understand it isn’t easy, but you have to try. Please, for me."

"Be careful there, Reek. You can't be that easily persuaded, right? Remember what she did to you? How she abandoned you after only one rescue attempt?"

Ramsay tried to poison Reek's mind as best he could before Yara had the chance to speak. His words immediately embedding themselves into his mind, his sister’s words only entering one ear and leaving the other. It was scary how quickly he went back to being this… creature.

“I promise I’m fine, Yara. I’m just not real used to the sea yet.”

Defeated, Greyjoy put down her arms and gave her brother a saddened look before leaving the cabin in complete silence. She did care about him, but she didn’t want a nuisance endangering her and her entire crew, especially since she knew about the Dragon Queen’s often harsh behavior, Yara needed everything to go as planned. She quietly closed the cabin door and went back to checking up on her crew, the only real family she ever had. 

Theon was distraught, he wanted to punch himself in the gut or stab himself in the shin or whatever horrible punishment he could think of doing to himself to compensate for being such a terrible, terrible brother. He sat down on his bed, rubbing his forehead - hoping, praying even that this was all a terrible nightmare he can just sleep off. He was fighting *him* with every bit of his remaining mental strength that he had left, just for his sister’s sake. She didn’t deserve this. She deserved Theon Greyjoy, the brave and confident Ironborn who was ready to take on anything. In his stead, all she got left with was Reek, a pathetic creature whose mind was only useful for one task: pleasing his lord, and that lord was definitely not a Greyjoy.

“Don’t look so sad, Reek. I know you’re a pathetic, useless creature, but you’re going to help me out with a few things. I don’t believe I have to explain what those things are, but since you are quite slow, I suppose I can try to explain it so that even you could understand it.”

“J-Jon and Sansa…”

“Very good, Reek! I didn’t know you had it in you to figure it out. But yes, those two definitely need to go. I don’t suppose you have any objections?”

“...N-No, m’lord.”

“Good! That’s just the start, but you’ll figure out the rest of it in due time, for now that’s just the main objective. Once you get your support from the Mother of Dragons, sail back to Winterfell for a visit. Will you be able to do that, Reek?”

“Yes, m’lord. Anything for you.”

“That’s my good little Reek. You can rest now. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow. You wouldn’t want to let me down, would you?”

“No, m’lord. I won’t let you down.”


	2. Clown's Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ramsay and Theon have some alone time. How will Ramsay be able to convince Theon to kill his own brother and sister?
> 
> Quite easily, in fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ghost ramsay au part two baby.
> 
> Here are the universe rules:
> 
> \- theon can't touch ramsay, but ramsay can touch him  
> \- theon is the only one who can see and hear ramsay, but that may change soon  
> \- ramsay's form is the same as when theon last saw him bc that's his cognition of him

Theon Greyjoy was never the type to get sea sick. Although, this was one of the exceptions. The waves had been especially harsh, and the complete darkness of the night hadn't been doing the man any favors either. The only thing he wanted was just to get some sleep, but looks like he wouldn't even be able to do to that. Especially since…

"Reek?"

...he was still around.

It still felt like a nightmare. It was almost as if the Gods were pulling a sick prank on the Greyjoy. It was both hilarious and terrifying. 

Very much Ramsay Bolton.

In a sense, he still couldn't believe that he died, but knowing Jon, it wasn't out of the question. Yet it was still so, so difficult to comprehend, especially since he will have to act normal when they'll arrive to Meereen, which is getting to be relatively much, much closer now.

Giving up on the idea of sleeping, he cautiously directed his eyes to Ramsay's ghost, who had been watching him, or at least watching him try to, sleep. He had so many questions he had wanted to ask the spirit, yet that ghost was still very much his torturer, so no words came out of his mouth due to the immense fear he felt.

Ramsay seemed amused at Theon's display of weakness and fear, so as a reward, decided to indulge in Theon's request, almost as if he already knew a few questions had popped up in his pet's mind.

"You look like you have something to say, Reek. Please, do speak up now." 

"It-- It isn't important, m'lord…"

"Come again? Did you forget who I am?"

"Y-You're Lord Ramsay Bolton, m'lord! A-At least you were before-" Reek's voice had started to waver and his last sentence was barely audible, yet he knew that somehow, someway… Ramsay would catch it.

"That was a very bold choice of words, Reek. Very bold indeed…"

"I meant no offense, Lord Ramsay…! It's just-"

"It's just what, you whore?"

"...T-This is a lot to take i-"

"How do you think I feel?! Your bastard brother and whore sister killed me, Reek. They aren't going to go unpunished. You should at least remember that.

"I… haven't forgotten, m'lord…" 

Theon had been staring at the ground during the entire conversation, not feeling quite ready to look Bolton in the eye. That was until he felt a familiar touch on his face. Ramsay's hands had cupped his cheek, completely cold to the touch. He slowly started petting Theon's hair with his other free hand. His expressioning to something that seemed genuine, his voice soft and gentle.

But it never was. And it'll never will be. This was another one of his games.

And Theon was falling for it all over again.

Even when he knew it wasn't real.

"Are you sure you haven't, sweetling? ...Do you know what you have to do?"

Theon felt his heart beat faster and faster as he slowly leaned forward so his face could be buried in the bastards chest; he didn't want to think about this anymore, this all was too much… Too soon… 

Even if Theon couldn't touch him, Ramsay could very much still.

Ramsay continued petting him, seemingly comforting him. His smile quickly turned to a smirk as he felt Theon's tears cover his torso. It was sick. The bastard knew that Greyjoy was contemplating it.

It was working; he just had to keep going. He had to break him just a little bit more.

"There, there, Reek… It'll all be over soon. You won't have to feel this way anymore soon enough…"

"M-M'lord… P-Please don't…. Please don't make me-" 

"Shh… Take all the time you need. But remember, you will have to do it. ...You wouldn't disobey an order from your master, right? The master who was so kind to help guide you, even after my demise? Don't you know how lucky you are? I could have chosen anyone, yet I chose you, Reek."

After a while, even someone like Reek finally realized there was no right answer. He had to kill Sansa and Jon; or Ramsay was going to kill them himself, somehow, someway… He was either going to willingly work with him, or he was going to make Theon do it.

He slowly started to accept that reality. 

Ramsay lifted Theon's chin up once more and looked him right in the eye, Reek's vision was blurry. He had been crying immensely; Ramsay noticed how tired he looked.

That just excited him more.

Before Greyjoy could react, Ramsay brought his lips to his own, kissing him deeply. Theon felt his tears increase in volume, the deeper the kiss went.

After a while, Ramsay let go and brought his lips to Theon's forehead and kissed it. With this horrible night drawing to a close, Ramsay glared at Theon; asking him the same question he did earlier to which he had received nothing in return. This time, he won't take silence for an answer.

"Do you know what you have to do, Reek?"

"...I… have to… get revenge… for your death, m'lord."

"That's right. And how will you do it, my sweetling?"

"...I'll kill S-Sansa and J-Jon…"

"Hm? What was that? I couldn't quite hear you. Do speak up now."

"I'll kill Sansa and J-Jon…"

"Come on, Reek! With a little bit more passion! I know you can do it! Remember who you're doing this for."

"I'll kill Sansa and Jon. I'll get revenge for your death, m'lord."

"Good… Very good… Do you remember what I told you when I first made you?"

"...Reek belongs to Ramsay, and Ramsay belongs to Reek, m'lord."

Ramsay felt a malicious grin forming on his face as he saw Reek's pathetic attempt at trying to imitate a determined look; his tears quickly ruining that facade.

Bolton knew exactly how much those two meant to him; how he knows he probably won't go through with it at first. Ramsay still has more work he needs to do, but for now, he has Reek wrapped around his finger.

He just needs to go deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> insta: @trubonny

**Author's Note:**

> insta: @trubonny


End file.
